The First Cohort
The Public Health Training Center (PHTC) Program was first introduced and funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in 2000. For ten years, the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health (CUMSPH) led the New York New Jersey Public Health Training Center (NYNJ PHTC) in collaboration with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Public Health (now Rutgers University School of Public Health) and the University at Albany School of Public Health. In 2011, HRSA reorganized the program and the NYNJ-PHTC ceased to exist, with the three partners receiving individual grants to better tailor training offerings to the public health workforce in their respective jurisdictions.
PHTC Reorganization
The reorganization of the PHTC Program in 2011 led to 37 new centers across the nation. CUMSPH, in partnership with the State University of New York, Stony Brook’s Graduate Program in Public Health, now leads the New York City – Long Island – Lower Tri-County Public Health Training Center. This Center worked closely with the New York State Department of Health, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH), and the five county health departments of Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Rockland and Putnam Counties to provide public health training in the new jurisdiction.
The Regional PHTCs
In the 2014 Request for Proposals, HRSA introduced a Regional PHTC organization, with one PHTC in each of the 10 Department of Health and Human Services Regions of the United States. To serve the public health workforce of Region 2, which includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, CUMSPH would lead the Region 2 PHTC. This new regional PHTC was a collaboration of the Rutgers University Office for Public Health Practice, New York Association of County Health Officials, University of Puerto Rico Graduate School of Public Health, Impactivo LLC, and University of the Virgin Islands Center for Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning.
In July 2022, the Region 2 PHTC was re-funded and still serves the Region 2 public health workforce via partnerships with the Rutgers University Center for Public Health Workforce Development, New York Association of County Health Officials, Impactivo LLC, Imkada Solutions, and the National Network of Public Health Institutes.
For more information, visit HRSA’s Regional Public Health Training Center website.
Who is the Public Health Training Center Network?
We are a consortium of regional Public Health Training Centers that collectively represent the nation’s most comprehensive resource for public health workforce development. We help sustain a skilled public health workforce by providing access to world-class professional development, experiential learning, and consulting and technical assistance.
Funders
The work of our Center is possible due to funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HRSA funds schools of public health to expand and enhance training opportunities for current and future public health workers, especially on technical, scientific, managerial, and leadership competencies.